Utopia, the Fox reality TV series that challenged participants to build a new society together, has been canceled.

'Utopia' Canceled

Fox decided to pull the plug on Utopia a month after cutting its weekly episode count. The cancelation, two months into the series, is effective immediately, reported Deadline. The livestream was shut off on Sunday as well. As for the participants who'd signed up to spend a year filming Utopia, they've been notified that their efforts would be cut short and that they'd soon be returning home.

Initially, Fox planned on airing two episodes of Utopia a week – Tuesdays and Fridays – for the first six weeks of the show. However, poor ratings forced the network to air only one episode a week. This past Friday's episode yielded only a 0.5 rating in the 18-49 age bracket and a paltry 1.5 million viewers.

Before Fox announced that it would be axing the ambitious reality TV series, Fox Television Group chairman and CEO Dana Walden insisted that the network had faith in Utopia and would be patient with it.

"It is a really interesting twist on a franchise that feels familiar enough to viewers that I think over time it has the great opportunity that scripted shows do not have of introducing new pioneers, bringing in different points of view, activating new viewers to come in and check out the world," Walden told The Hollywood Reporter. "We're definitely going to exhibit patience. What exactly that means, it's hard to tell. I'd say that as long as we're feeling creatively satisfied with the show, we're going to do everything in our power to give it an opportunity to thrive and grow."

Utopia creator John de Mol has had previous reality TV successes with Big Brother and The Voice. Fox's other recent reality TV show efforts have faired similarly poorly as Utopia, with both Wanna Marry Harry and Riot getting canceled earlier this year.